Rediscovering (Walt) Disney

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Thanks to John Banana for this!

'Captain America: The First Avenger' will be released on October 25, 2011 'The Rocketeer' will be released on December 13, 2011

After 28 years of tinkering in his garden shed Glenn Martin has flown his jet pack to heights of 5000ft. Now Martin believes he's poised to launch the first practical jet pack onto the world's domestic and business markets. After being greeted by a fanfare 3 years ago at the first launch of his jetpack, Glenn Martin was mocked for only flying 3 feet from the ground. "It just makes you more determined", Glenn said soon after the disappointing first flight. Preparing for their first large-scale test flight, "we'll play it by ear and see how it goes", Glenn says nervously. To demonstrate flight high above the ground and the concept of the ballistic parachute as an emergency safety system, the Martin Jetpack was flown to around 1500m (5000ft), brought down from this height and an off-the-shelf ballistic parachute was deployed.The aircraft was flown by James via radio control in a chasing helicopter - also demonstrating the ability of the technology to apply ...

From FILM+TV on 9/3/10 At least that’s how it would be touted in the funny books if The Rocketeer made an appearance in Captain America. When it was announced that Joe Johnston was going to be directing “ Captain America: The First Avenger ” it rekindled my love affair with his other comic book hero adaptation (for Disney btw, who now owns Marvel): “The Rocketeer”. But it also left me a little worried, as it has many of you, ‘cause Cliff and Peevy didn’t fare so well at the box office and most of the blame of course falls on the director. Of course I loved “The Rocketeer” and having just re-watched it I got to thinking; ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if The Rocketeer made an appearance in Captain America?’ Seriously, think about it. Even though IDW now owns the comic rights to “ The Rocketeer ” I bet Disney still owns the film rights (I’m just guessing) and they now own Marvel Comics and Captain America. Marvel Studios hires former Disney Productions director Joe Johnston (Honey, I Shrunk the Ki...

In 1991 Walt Disney Pictures released what they had hoped would be a summer blockbuster live-action film - “The Rocketeer.” And in the tradition of “Swiss Family Robinson”, “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” and “Treasure Island,” “The Rocketeer” was a family-friendly, effects-filled, period adventure story. Unfortunately for the studio and the fans alike, “The Rocketeer” didn’t live up to its potential as a moneymaker or a franchise launcher. There are legions of us that are fans of this film and hold it in much higher regard than the studio that produced it. But unlike “Tron” the adventures of Cliff Secord have yet to be revisited with a sequel, Blu-ray release, or even a Special Edition DVD. And speaking of which, hey Disney, we are closing in on the 20th anniversary of “The Rocketeer,” this may have been a good time to roll out that DVD upgrade, don’t you think? (You can read my previous post on a DVD Special Edition HERE .) Except for 1999’s less than glorious DVD release our intrepid...

Okay, so I was just getting ready to rip Disney for not acknowledging the 20th Anniversary of "The Rocketeer" when I read this online... ‘The Rocketeer’ returns to El Capitan with cast and crew' Hero Complex just posted an article outlining D23's plans to screen the film at the El Capitan theater followed by a Q&A with the cast and crew. The 20th anniversary of Disney’s serial-spirited adventure ”The Rocketeer” will be celebrated June 21 with a special screening and an exhibit of props and costumes, as well as a cast and creator reunion panel that will be moderated by filmmaker Kevin Smith. The entire program is being staged by D23, the paid-membership club that offers deeper, prestige access and archival-minded events to Disney fans. You can read the entire article HERE . Of course I still think they are missing a great opportunity to release a Special Edition DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack of this long dormant movie. Perhaps, as I have speculated in the past, they ...

[If this looks familiar its because it originally appeared at FILM+TV. I am re-posting a few entries here to add them to the archives.] Because somebody on the west coast wanted to see them, I scanned few more of the Topps "The Rocketeer" cards. Enjoy! And remember just click on the image to see a larger version.

[If this looks familiar its because it originally appeared at FILM+TV. I am re-posting a few entries here to add them to the archives.] "How do I look?" "Like a hood ornament." As we close in on the departure date for our Walt Disney World trip, I'm getting more excited to visit ' Peevy's Polar Pipline ' at Disney's Hollywood Studios . At Peevy's you can down a Cosmic Coca-Cola or Minute Maid Raspberry Lemonade Launcher and gander at some swell "The Rocketeer" memorabilia including Cliff's helmet and jetpack! In the meantime here's a little teaser (literally) with the original theatrical trailer... Video Copyright © The Walt Disney Co. Uploaded with ImageShack.us

When I was down at Walt Disney World in 1991 there was still a lot of evidence of "The Rocketeer" at the Disney/MGM Studios, after all it had just been released that summer. I remember seeing the Spruce Goose model hanging from the ceiling of one of the restaurants, lots of posters and other collectibles of course and seeing many props and vehicles on the backlot tour. A large part of the original Backlot Tour and Residential Street were razed to make room for the new attraction: "Lights, Motors, Action!™ Extreme Stunt Show". Anyway... I was cleaning up my home office and uncovered a box of Topps "The Rocketeer" Trading Cards - Its an almost complete set (I don't have the 11 stickers)! I flipped through them and quickly realized why they won't fetch much on the memorabilia market... they kinda stink! Many of the scenes are unremarkable and many of the iconic scenes are missing. Oh well, I still heart "The Rocketeer" and they did bri...

I was more than shocked, and definitely saddened this week to learn of the passing of two favorites; Stanley Kamel & Dave Stevens. Stanley Kamel played Dr. Kroger on the USA series "Monk". Dave Stevens was the creator of "The Rocketeer". What was most shocking about their deaths was that they were pretty young guys, Kamel in his 60's and Stevens in his 50's. Saddened of course by the passing of two fellows, who I did not know personally but, whose work I really enjoyed. "Monk" is one of the few hour-long shows that my wife and I watch together, and Dr. Kroger is a great character, played as a the straight man to Monks comic quirkiness. And of course "The Rocketeer" (see previous post) is an awesome movie and the comics are equally, some would say more, enjoyable. Here are a few links to Mr. Kamel & Mr. Stevens: Stanley Kamel Dave Stevens Stanley Kamel, IMDB davestevens.com

So my question for Disney is what are you waiting for? “The Rocketeer” was one of the best films the early 90’s, why isn’t it getting the same care and attention of Disney’s other live-action features? I can understand that the majority of Disney’s time and effort is spent on its fabulous animated films, they’re great right? But I can’t be the only one who loved this movie; heck it grossed over 46 million didn’t it? "The Rocketeer" is torn right from the pages of great pulp adventures like The Shadow & Doc Savage, or the scripts of serials from the 1940’s that helped inspire “Raiders of the Lost Ark”. I wonder if all this charm, nostalgia and gee-whiz innocence might be lost on most of our Halo/iPod generation? Like Indiana Jones, Cliff Secord battles Nazi’s during the early 1930’s - there’s even a great zeppelin fight scene – in an average Joe, spy-smash, best-girl rescuing adventure. Complete with plenty of flag waving (literally) this movie is unapologetic about its lo...